The present invention is in the field of the audio communications over a network. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and arrangements to transmit audio over a network during a chat conference.
Chat conferences are the real-time exchange of text among groups of people. Chat conferences are popular among social and business users. Social users can gossip and discuss fields of interest. Business users may be able to avoid in-person conferences by participating in the chat conferences, thereby avoiding the concomitant travel and disruption. In addition, because the chat conferences are far more convenient and easier to arrange, business users can participate in them more often and more flexibly. Chat conferences may be formed spontaneously. One person can join others, or several people may each join several others.
Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) is a method for the real-time exchange of speech and other audio over the Internet and other networks. Some versions may specify destinations with telephone numbers. Other versions may specify destinations with Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. A participant in a chat conference may have access to a VoIP system on the computer or other device the participant uses to connect to the conference. The participant may use the VoIP system to call another of the participants and engage in a private voice conversation while the chat conference is proceeding.
FIG. 1 depicts a prior art embodiment of a display 400 containing a chat conference interface window 405 and a VoIP interface window 425 for unintegrated chat conference and VoIP applications. Chat conference window 405 includes a conference display panel 410, a contacts list 415, and an input panel 420. The conference display panel 410 may display the messages transmitted through the conference. Input panel 420 may provide space for entering text to be transmitted to the conference. The contacts list 415 may display a list of participants in the conference and other frequent contacts and their status. A participant may be able to click on a name from the list to invite the person represented to join the conference.
The VoIP window 425 includes a contacts list 430 and a transmitting control panel 445 with start transmitting 435 and stop transmitting 440 buttons. The contacts list 430 may display a list of contacts. A chat conference participant may be able to click on a name to make a call to the person represented. The participant may then click the start transmitting button 435 to begin a conversation and click the stop transmitting button 440 when the conversation is complete. The contacts list 430 of the VoIP application may, however, not be integrated with the contacts list 415 of the chat conference application. Another participant of the conference may not be listed on the contacts list 430 or may be listed at an address other than address for the conference. As a result, it may be difficult to call the other participant over the VoIP application during the chat conference. Even if the VoIP address of the other participant is available, it may be inconvenient to use the VoIP system to make a call during the chat conference. To make the VoIP call to the other participant, the participant may be required to launch the VoIP window, locate the other participant in the contacts list 430 or manually enter the correct address, and go through several more steps to make the call. By the time the participant has completed all of the procedures, the chat conference may have moved past the topic on which the participant desired to comment.